Review Questions Unit 1
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Political Science
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Jun 1, 2024
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Review Question #1,
1. From the lecture, describe the three elements of the triadic model of freedom.
The 3 elements of the triadic model of freedom are “Agent”, or who the model is intended.
The second element is the “Obstacle”, or the assumed problematic nature of things in their current state.
And lastly “Goal”, the identified ideal that represents “true” freedom to the agent by surpassing or circumventing he prescribed obstacle. 2. Explain the four functions of ideology.
According to the text by Ball, Dagger, and O’Neill, the 4 functions of an ideology are “explanatory, evaluative, orientative and programmatic.” Explanatory is the function that sets the stage for the ideologies perceived environment, the accepted true state of things and why they are that way as it aligns to the social, political,
or economic state. The evaluative function serves to supply the spectrum to which the explanation is measured to be either good or bad. I use the word spectrum as I see that many ideologies may prescribe certain acceptable “bad” states of things in order to achieve a higher “good” state. Orientation is our next function; this requirement supplies identity to the agent, the application of “who we are, where we are, and how we fit into the world” as prescribed by the ideology. The last function needed to be considered an ideology is political program. An ideology must tell the agent what to do and how to do it, in a specified manner. There must be a program or agenda prescribed by the ideology.
3. From the lecture, how is an ideology different from a scientific theory? An ideology is different from a scientific theory in the way it provides the explanation, in that, a theory describes the state of things, and an ideology prescribes the way things should be. Ideologies are normative and discuss how things “ought” to be, where scientific theories are empirical and provide factual overviews of a feature or features of the world. Also, scientific theories do not meet the four functions of an ideology as discussed in the text.
4. On "isms," what is one "ism" that is not an ideology? Why is it not an ideology?
One known “ism” that is not an ideology is plagiarism. This “ism” is not an ideology because it does not meet the four functions of an ideology. If fact, plagiarism, doesn’t meet any of the functions required by the authors.
If we sought to apply plagiarism to our metric, we would see that it lacks in providing any reason for the way things are, nor does it orientate or provide a program to follow.
Review Question #2
1. Describe what democracy originally meant.
Democracy originally meant “rule by the people” or “rule by the common people.” Originating from Greek words, demos and kratein
, the word demokratia
was used specifically describing a government made up of common people. The demos were considered the majority of the people and were generally regarded as poor, uneducated, or unsophisticated, however, these peoples represented the working class, so democracy was considered a form of class rule.
2. From the lecture, how did ostracism work in ancient Greek democracy?
During the lecture it was discussed that ostracism in ancient Greece was an accepted function of the democracy. People would cast a vote for citizens they did not want to participate in government out of fear they would not represent the whole state well or would endanger the state due to their unpopular voiced opinions. Members of the Athenian assembly would write or scratch names of citizens they wished to be banished on the backs of shells or pottery pieces.
3. From the lecture, how did the lottery work in ancient Athens?
In ancient Athens, many seats in government were filled by a lottery system, similar to the draft for military service in the United States. Citizens of Athens, (free, adult, males, born to Athens), would be selected randomly for many political offices. Athenians believed the citizens were capable of self-
governance, despite their class assignment and utilized this system to empower them or call upon them to uphold their civic responsibilities.
4. What problem does ostracism show about democracy?
Ostracism shows there are problems with democracy. Democracy empowers the majority but does little or nothing to protect the minority. Ostracism allowed the majority to simply silence those who disagreed with the majority of citizens. This is true for even modern approaches to democracy. The many will easily sacrifice the few if they believe that it is acceptable to maintain integrity of the democracy.
5. Identify three main features of the republican tradition.
The three main features of the republican tradition, as detailed by Machiavelli, are as follows. One, mixed government, citizens from all socioeconomic classes so as to check the excesses of each other to ensure fair and equal rule. The second feature is a body of virtuous citizenry. Moral character would ensure government was protected from corruption or self-interested citizens. And the third was rule of law. Machiavelli attested that laws applied to all citizens equally would be a more dependable form of government than the whims of individuals placed in charge or the ever changing minds of the many. Laws would be applied equally to those governed as well as those in government to ensure no one person or group could subject to their will.
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